Apparently It Can
by XSeabiscuitX
Summary: The sequel to MCMLGAW Its the end of 10th grade&the Strikers are getting ready for a summer at camp. That's when the kids from the Avatar world show up, including Jet. Soccer, drama, soccer, battles, romance, soccer. One wild summer. Welcome to my world.
1. Worlds Collide

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Author's Notes: Well here it is, the long awaited sequel to _Man, Could My Life Get Any Weirder?_ Actually, I don't know if this was long awaited. I've been waiting to have the chance to write it. My computer's got a virus, so I spent my New Year's Eve writing on my dad's. Happy New Year! 

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar nor do I own a working computer but I do own this terrific new story!

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**Chp.1 Worlds Collide**

"Wide! Wide! I'm open!" I pivoted to the right & threw the Frisbee in my hands. Casino came bolting forward & snagged it from the air. He threw it to the Dalton, another guy tried to intercept it but the Dalton caught it.

"TOUCHDOWN!" Casino yelled.

"We rule!" I cried.

"Yeah we do!" The Dalton added.

"Way to go guys!" Lynx called from the defense end of the field. It was the last Friday of the school year & we were in the midst of the last Ultimate Frisbee game. We'd been losing by one point & now we were tied. We all headed back to our side for the throw off. The team that scores throws the Frisbee to the other team.

"Okay guys, whoever intercepts it feeds it to Piranha. He does fake & take with Macarena, then wings it to Thebes. The rest of you get down field early & to catch it when Thebes throws it. Ready? GO!" Lynx ordered. We broke up as Macarena threw the Frisbee down field. A blond guy on the other team caught it & tried to throw it to their captain. Casino came flying through & intercepted it. He threw it to Piranha. He faked throwing it to Macarena & then tossed it to Thebes. He threw it as hard as he could. Scooter leapt into the air & brought it down.

"WAHOO!" He yelled. Mr. Smith, the teacher that sponsors the Ultimate Frisbee team, blew the whistle.

"Okay guys, its 4:45. I know we normally end at 5:00 but we're going to have to end it here because of the dance tonight."

"Aw, coach! You just want the Strikers' team to win!" A guy from the other team teased.

"Very funny. Now scram you little rascals, get home so you look nice for your girls." Mr. Smith said.

"Heh hem," I said.

"Or guys," he corrected himself.

"Like Seabiscuit's got a date!" The same guy said. I'm the one of three girls on Ultimate Frisbee & I was the only one there. The other two were who knows where getting ready for the dance.

"Last I heard, you got turned down by fours girls, including me!" I retorted. The rest of the team & Mr. Smith laughed hysterically.

"Burn," Scooter said.

"Well, thank you Seabiscuit. Now you all get out of here & go home!" Mr. Smith said.

"Yes sir," some people mumbled. We started to break up, the Strikers all headed in the same direction. All our gear, backpacks & all that, were in the boys' locker room. Lynx had a key because he'd been captain of the school team. (Not bad for a sophomore!) We always left our stuff in there, I just didn't go in. It was about a hundred yards from the field we'd been on to the school, the boys I know so well were just walking in a big group, discussing the end of year dance.

* * *

Lynx was leading the way. The hottest guy at KHS, even though he's sort of short for a guy, only 5'10". He's got long brown hair & icy blue eyes. I've never seen him in anything but skater clothes or soccer clothes & I've known him since I was eight. He's also a martial arts master. His specialty is Kung Fu but he's learning more styles after our trip. His fighting is best when he's using his nunchucks but he knows how to use his fists just as well. He plays right forward & is the leading scorer for the Strikers & the KHS team. 

Behind Lynx was the one & only the Dalton. It's probably for the best that he is the one & only. He is one of the weirdest people I've ever met. He's an amazing defense player & plays left defender but he can always push up if he's needed. He's like Lynx in some ways, his style is skater too & he's extremely hot. Only he has bleached-looking blonde hair & sharp green eyes. He was an Airbender but now he has new skills. His greatest weapon is a naginata, a Japanese weapon similar to a spear, but strangely enough he can use a long, strong stick just as well. He's one of the three members of the Strikers that have dancing ability, he's the only one who can break dance & he's very good.

Next to the Dalton was Falcon, his best friend. He can be described in three words: Star Wars Freak. He's seen every Star Wars movie at least FIFTEEN TIMES. No exaggeration. He's the third tallest guy on the Strikers & the only one that comes close to having red hair. Its sort of half red, half brown. His eyes are brown, but the only way you will see them is if he's playing soccer. The rest of the time he's wearing sunglasses. Because of his Star Wars obsession, he has taken about a dozen survival courses & has been to all these weird Jedi Training Schools. So he knows how to use a Western style sword, but he insists it's a Lightsaber. He also manages to say "May the Force be with you!" at least once a day. Obsessive!

Just behind the Dalton & Falcon was Piranha. The absolute weirdest person I have ever met. Possibly the weirdest person anyone has ever met. No kidding. His ipod is one hundred percent Celtic music & his favorite TV show is Sabrina: the Teenage Witch. He can be totally goofy or totally serious & he switches between the two about every 30 seconds. He always carries at least one role of duck tape with him. He can make absolutely anything out of it. When he's not with the Strikers, he's at the climbing center because he's one of the leading guys on the climbing team. He's the smallest member of the Strikers, in weight & height. He's the team's keeper, but he wasn't always. He used to be our fourth forward but when Razzmatazz left the team we needed a keeper. We all tried out but Piranha was the best by far even though he wasn't as good as Razzmatazz. So he ended up as our keeper.

Walking beside Piranha was Scooter, the team's computer nerd. He seems to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. He gets all the latest computer technology & all that kind of stuff because his dad is a computer programmer. Scooter is exactly like Tucker Foley on _Danny Phantom_ & we'd be lost without him. He can do anything on a computer or PDA. Scooter is tied with Casino for the position of tallest guy on the team. They're both 6'4", but Scooter has blue eyes & sandy brown hair. Scooter plays defense, he's the sweeper. The last line before it gets to the keeper. He keeps us connected, in more ways than one.

Behind Piranha & Scooter were Thebes & Macarena. You almost never find of those two without the other. Thebes is the writer in the group & Macarena is the artist. They make their own comics. They're the quieter members of the Strikers, Thebes especially. Macarena has a wild streak & he's the only one who can dance better than me. Thebes is 6'1", Macarena is two inches shorter. Thebes has black hair & light blue eyes. Macarena has blond hair & dark blue eyes. They have been asked if they're fraternal twins. Macarena plays right defense & Thebes plays left forward.

At the end of the group next to me was my best friend, Casino. We're like Thebes & Macarena, you rarely find one of us without the other. He's eight inches taller than me, one of the few guys who makes me feel short. He has dark brown hair & brown eyes. He's one of the hotter guys on the Strikers, behind only Lynx & the Dalton. He's the center forward & the leading scorer. His parents were in a car crash when he was five so he now lives with his grandfather, AKA Gramps. Casino's into video production & he's made several really good ones. He sent a couple in on video contests & won awards in all but one. His favorite TV show is Walker: Texas Ranger. He's almost as obsessed with it as Falcon is with Star Wars. Well, not quite that bad.

I was bringing up the rear, next to Casino. 5'6" with brown hair that came past my shoulders & brown eyes. The only girl on the Strikers & the center midfield. My parents hate me & my tomboy ways. Supposedly my brother is the perfect child. I used to be a master Earthbender but that changed when we came home. Now I'm a metalbender of sorts. I can expertly use my jewelry as weapons. Metal bangles & hair chop sticks in particular. I don't get it but it works. I think our abilities changed when we left the other world. Unfortunately I'd left something very important behind, my first love & I missed him terribly.

* * *

We reached the building in a matter of minutes, the locker room was very close to the door. Casino dashed in & got my bag for me. 

"Here you go. Why don't I go with you to get your notes?"

"Why?" I asked as I pulled the necklace Haru gave me out & tied it securely around my neck.

"Its grad week, you wanna a group of seniors to find you?" Casino asked.

"Its 4:45, you think any are still here?" I pointed out & strode out of the gym. I was headed upstairs to get my chemistry & mythology notes out of my locker, finals start on Monday.

"I'll meet you guys out front in ten minutes!"

* * *

Five minutes later I was digging my notes out of my extremely messy locker. 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Seabiscuit?" A deep voice came from behind me. I spun around, shocked to see four seniors standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Its grad week, & we decided to go after the ultimate prize. The girl who has never been touched because she hangs out with a bunch of overprotective guys."

"Never been touched? Ultimate prize? Hah! You need to get your eyes checked." I laughed & touched my necklace.

"Never been touched is going to change," another guy said.

"Yeah, I don't think so," I retorted. I reached in my bag & pulled out a pair of hair chop sticks.

"Bring it on." I took a defensive stance, I haven't been going to martial arts for the past year & a half for nothing! They all charged me at once. I did a fast spin kick & sent the guy that was closest flying.

"Oww!" He yelled as he hit the floor.

"Hey!" Another guy yelled as I hit him in the head with my chop sticks. The third guy got punched in the stomach. The fourth guy got me instead. He caught me by my hair & forced me against the lockers. He had a nice tight grip on my throat.

"Told you it was about to change, I'm going to be the first guy to touch the Strikers' Seabiscuit." He was about to kiss me when a fist came out of nowhere. He went skidding across the hallway.

"I don't think so!" A voice I knew very well yelled. I whipped around.

"ZUKO? What are you doing here?" Suddenly a pair of arms encircled me & whipped me off my before dipping me backwards. Lips met mine. After a moment I pulled back.

"Haru!" I cried happily. He smiled at me before going back to kissing me. I pulled away again.

"What," kiss.

"Are," kiss.

"You," kiss.

"Doing," kiss.

"Here?" kiss.

"That's want I want to know," Falcon's voice came from behind me.

"& I want to know what he's doing kissing you?" Casino demanded.

"Falcon, Casino, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend."

I swear I heard their jaws hit the floor.

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Author's Notes: So what did you think? I tried to give a good description of all the Strikers. If you want more info, try my website. 

Good grief, I'm so excited about my new story I forgot my BIG news. Last night (Saturday) I played in MY FIRST SOCCER GAME SINCE THE SURGERY! The doctor said I can play again! I was so happy I was crying!

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	2. So Many Questions

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Author's Notes: Here it is! The next chapter! I got easy classes this semester so I should be updating again soon!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar but I do own a terrific outfit for Winter Formal!

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**Chp.2 So Many Questions**

"BOYFRIEND?" Casino & Falcon yelled.

"Yeah," I said with a very nervous smile.

"Boyfriend?" Casino repeated.

"Yeah, Seabiscuit who are these guys?" Haru asked me, tightening his grip on my waist.

"Falcon & Casino, two of the Strikers," I replied.

"Casino? The guy who saved you from Azula?" Zuko asked.

"Yep, & Falcon, the guy who saved the Dalton." I answered.

"Wow, so we're in your world?" Haru gasped.

"Yes," I smiled & kissed him again. That seemed to shock Casino back to his senses.

"STOP KISSING HER!" He bellowed. We whipped around to stare at him. He raised his hand like he was going to whistle but a whistle sounded before he had his hand to his mouth.

_Seabiscuit! Get down here! You're not gonna believe this!_

It was the Dalton. (All our whistles have slightly different pitches because of the differences in our vocal chords so I can always tell who it is.)

"Come on! The Dalton wants us!" I said, scooping up my bag before grabbing Haru's & Zuko's hands. I started running for the stairs.

"Come on Casino, Lynx will sort it all out. She listens to him," Falcon yelled.

As we neared the bottom of the stairs I heard the Dalton again, he was in the Commons. My mind was racing, how were Haru & Zuko here? Why were they here? Were Aang, Katara & Sokka here too? When we came flying into the Commons my last question was answered. Katara was in Lynx's arms & they were once again in a heavy make-out session.

"Do you see what the Dalton sees?" the Dalton yelled from the other side of the happy couple. A grinning Sokka stood beside him & Aang was next to him with an enormous smile.

"I know! Look who I found!" I cried. His face lit up when he saw Haru & Zuko.

"DUDES!" The Dalton & I started hugging them. I hugged Haru again, I hugged Zuko, I hugged Sokka, I hugged Aang & I pulled Katara away from Lynx so I could hug her.

"SEABISCUIT!" She shrieked when she saw me.

"KATARA!" I yelled excitedly.

"SEABISCUIT! LYNX! THE DALTON! Would someone PLEASE explain what the hell is going on????" Falcon demanded.

"Who are these people?" Scooter shouted.

"& WHAT DO YOU MEAN BOYFRIEND?" Casino bellowed.

"What is going on?" I asked Katara. Then I saw a familiar figure behind her at the edge of the Commons near the door that lead to the Chorus Hall.

"Well, we were fighting," Katara began.

"Airplane." I said.

"Right, we were fighting Jet/Airplane, the Freedom Fighters had ambushed us," she said.

"No Airplane!" I yelled & pointed at him. She whipped around, her hand reaching for her water skin.

"I'll take care of him!"

"No! This is our world! You can't bend!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Thebes yelled. More Freedom Fighters followed Jet in through the Chorus Hall.

"We'll explain later! RUN!" I screamed.

"Why?" Piranha asked.

"THAT'S WHY!" The Dalton yelled, pointing at the Freedom Fighters. A group of kids when extremely dangerous weapons headed for us.

"WHAT THE?" Macarena cried.

"We'll explain later! Run!" Lynx yelled. "Head for my sister's truck! I've got a spare key!"

"WHAT?" Zuko & Sokka yelled.

"JUST RUN!" I screamed, breaking into a hard sprint down towards the lobby. Haru caught my hand.

"We're running from the Freedom Fighters again but I'm so glad to see you again!"

"I know what you mean!"

14 kids were tearing towards the front door followed by who knows how many other kids. & I loved every second of it! The truck was in the first row of the parking lot, Lynx tossed the key to Falcon, the only one of us with a license. They jumped in the front seat along with Katara. The rest of us climbed into the bed of the truck.

"Hang on!" Lynx yelled out the window.

"Floor it!" He called to Falcon.

"HANG ON EVERYBODY!"

"Why- WHOA!" Sokka yelled as the truck shot forward.

"Falcon! Head for my place!" I called.

"You got it Biscuit!"

"I still want to know what is going on!" Thebes yelled.

"Me too!" Scooter added.

"I want to know since when is this jerk your boyfriend!" Casino bellowed.

"Watch who you're calling a jerk," Haru said warningly.

"Easy Haru, they don't know about anything," the Dalton said.

"You guys never told your friends about us?" Aang asked.

"No!" Several voices answered.

"We'll explain everything about everything at my house! Just chill until we get there!" I cried exasperatedly.

"What do you mean boyfriend?" Casino asked again.

"ARGH!" I yelled & buried my head in my hands.

* * *

15 minutes later we had everyone settled around my downstairs. Lynx, the Dalton & I were the only ones still standing.

"Okay guys, talk." Scooter said firmly.

"Are you gonna start or should I?" I asked Lynx.

"I will," he said.

"Alright guys, there is a huge secret we've been keeping from you. Last fall, October of our freshmen year, we had an adventure of a different kind." Lynx began.

"Like what? There's nothing the Strikers haven't done," Thebes snorted.

"Like getting pulled out of this world & thrown to another," I snapped. It took about 3 seconds for all of the Strikers to burst into laughter.

"Yeah right Biscuit! What's really going on?" Piranha asked, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"She's not making it up," Haru said.

"Prove it!" Falcon laughed.

"I can!" I retorted. "You know my necklace, the one that I just got all of a sudden & I'm always wearing it?"

"Yeah…" I pulled my necklace off & threw it at Falcon.

"Read the back!"

"_Dearest Seabiscuit, you'll be gone when you read this but I want you to know, I will never forget you. In the Water Tribe this is an engagement necklace but we're a little young for that so this is a remember a guy who loved you necklace. Wo Ai Ni._" Falcon read out loud.

"I don't believe it," Scooter said.

"Believe it, I gave it to her," Haru said dryly.

"What exactly happened? I mean how you got there & once you got there," Piranha said.

"I want details," Thebes added. "Alright, alright," I said. "This is how it happened…

_Last year after I got thrown out of a soccer game because I'm a girl, we headed down to the pond. I was thinking about the jerk that got me thrown out & we rode straight off the edge. Next thing we knew we were in their world. Four countries: Air Nomads, Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom & Fire Nation. The Fire Nation was trying to take over the world & only the Avatar could stop them. Aang, Katara & Sokka took us in. Aang would be the Avatar. After a while we met Haru, he started traveling with us. After that when we were on our way to the capital of one of the four countries, Zuko captured us. Then he & his uncle ended up joining us. In one of the battles I was almost killed by Zuko's sister. But someone pulled me back. We ended up winning that battle, then we had to go after Aang. He'd been hurt badly. The Dalton ended up hurt but he got better. Then Zuko, Katara, the Dalton & I teamed up to defeat the Fire Lord. Some members of each country could control their element. It turned out I was an Earthbender & the Dalton was an Airbender. We won the war & saved the Earth Kingdom, then we ended up back here."_

It as a very quick description & not a very good one but it was what we had time for because the guys had plenty of questions. They kept interrupting ever five seconds. Lynx & the Dalton helped me answer most of them. There was one we had a hard time with though.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Scooter asked.

"We didn't think you'd believe us," the Dalton said simply.

"I don't blame you," Macarena muttered.

"Seabiscuit, you said someone called you back so you didn't die. Who was it?" Piranha asked.

"It was Casino," I replied. "& Falcon helped me save the Dalton."

"Wow," Thebes said.

"So now that they're here, what are we going to do with them? We have the dance tonight, finals Monday & we leave for camp in a week!" Casino said.

"Camp? Like you told us about?" Zuko asked.

"Yep!" I said.

"Let's go!" Aang said.

"You can't come!" Casino said.

"What?" Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Aang & Haru cried.

"They're coming!" Lynx said. "I got my girl back, I'm not leaving her behind!"

"Katara?" Casino asked.

"Who else?" Lynx asked.

"I'm confused! Introduce us all again!" Thebes said. "Other world people: the beautiful girl in blue is Katara. The guy in blue is Sokka. The dude in green is Seabiscuit's boyfriend, Haru. The guy with the arrow on his head is Aang. & the guy with the scar is Zuko. Our world left to right: Falcon, Piranha, Scooter, Macarena, Thebes & Casino."

"So how are we taking them anywhere with clothes like that" Piranha asked. Katara & I glanced at each other.

"Shopping time!" The boys collectively groaned.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!"

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Author's Notes: Whatcha think?

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	3. A Hyperactive Puppy & an Idiotic Brother

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Author's Notes: Hey everybody! Sorry it took me so long! Another chapter will be coming soon! (I hope!) It depends on how much time I've got.

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it again? I don't own the world's greatest TV show!

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**Chp.3 A Hyperactive Puppy & an Idiotic Brother**

"Woof! Woof!" A six-month-old Golden Retriever came bouncing into the room.

"Hawkeye!" I cried as my adorable puppy came bounding over to me. I bent over to scoop him into my arms but he jumped & started licking my face.

"What is that thing?" Sokka yelled. Hawkeye whipped around. It didn't surprise me when he started to bark. I've had him since Christmas, Casino gave him to me. He's very overprotective & seems to think he's the size of a full grown Great Dane. He knows all the Strikers but he goes nuts if anyone new shows up. He drives Brian & his "girlfriends" nuts. It took all of three seconds before he began attacking Sokka's feet.

"Aah!" Sokka yelped.

"Calm down dude, it's just a puppy. He's not gonna hurt you," Piranha said as Falcon & the Dalton sniggered.

"Oh, he's such a cute little guy!" Aang said, bending down & pulling Hawkeye off of Sokka's feet. Hawkeye uncertainly sniffed his face. Apparently he passed the sniff test because Aang was soon being covered with sloppy, wet kisses.

"Aww!" Katara said as she began to pet him.

"I still want to know what that thing is!" Sokka said.

"A guy that spends most of his time on a flying bison wants to know what a puppy is," Lynx said dryly.

"This isn't good. If they don't even know what a puppy is, how are they ever going to fit in our world?" Falcon asked.

"Looks like we're gonna miss the dance," Macarena said.

"No way!" Several voices said at once.

"Quiet! Let Lynx talk!" I said. He'd been silent for a little while but it was obvious he had something to say.

"Okay guys. Tonight we're going to the dance & they're going with us. We'll lend them our clothes for the dance. Tomorrow we'll go shopping & teach them how to get along in our world. All day Sunday & Monday after school we're studying for finals. Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday we'll teach them more & train them for soccer. Friday we'll leave for camp." Lynx laid out his plan. There were a few murmurs but everyone nodded. No one & I mean no one, goes against Lynx's decisions. Lynx glanced around the room, sizing people up.

"Zuko goes with Casino, Aang with Piranha, Haru with Falcon, Sokka with the Dalton & Katara with Seabiscuit. The rest of you just go home & get ready for the dance. We meet back here in two & a half hours. Go!" Lynx said. We broke up fast. The boys headed out the door, Katara & I headed up stairs to my room. Hawkeye followed us.

"What are you wearing to the dance?" She asked me.

"Black halter top & a denim skort. It's not a formal dance."

"What's a skort?"

"A pair of shorts that look like a skirt."

"Cool. What am I gonna wear?"

"Depends on what you like in my closet." I threw the door to my room open & strode over to my walk-in closet.

"Go through here & take your pick." I went over & flopped on my beanbag chair. Hawkeye leapt into my lap. I heard Katara muttering to herself. Something along the lines of

"These are normal clothes? Weird." Suddenly the phone rang.

"What was that?" She nearly shrieked.

"The phone. Keep your voice down, I don't want my brother to hear you. & don't talk for a minute." I checked the caller ID. It was Nora.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not much. Ready for me to come over to get ready for the dance?"

"Uhh.." I thought fast. I was going to have to trust her. Nora is a whiz with shopping & sales, etc. She'd always been an asset to the Strikers.

"Get over here fast! We need to talk. The Strikers need your help!"

"Be there in five!" She replied cheerfully. I put down the phone.

"Find anything you like?" I asked Katara.

"Yeah!" I looked at what she held. It was a black mini skirt & a tye-dye blue tank top. One good thing about having a mom who wanted a girly-girl daughter was I had a lot of cute clothes. I don't give a care but Nora, & now Katara, can always reap the benefits. At least I always look great in my training outfits.

"Oh, Lynx is gonna love this."

"What now?"

"We wait for Nora."

"Why wait?" Nora asked, prancing through the door & scaring Hawkeye.

"You said in five," I replied.

"My sister dropped me off instead of me walking. What's up? & who's the new girl?"

"Sit down, this may take a while." I explained everything, she took it pretty well.

"When do I get to meet Lover Boy?" I laughed.

"Tonight. So will you help us?"

"Of course, but with what?"

"Getting ready, the dance, getting them clothes, & teaching them about our world."

"DUH! Of course I'll help! I get to meet your new man & I get to shop with a debit card that doesn't belong to me! But first things first, you two will look fabulous tonight if it kills me."

"What about you?"

"It'll take me twenty minutes to get ready! You two however will need help!" Being the beauty queen she is, she instantly attacked us with orders.

"Go wash your faces & your hands! Then take your hair down!" For the better part of two hours we followed her every command & let her poke & prod us with make-up & hairpins. We had a huge problem when Katara went to take her tunic off. Being from another culture, she had never shaved her legs. We had another fun twenty minutes teaching her how to do that.

* * *

At 7:30 the Strikers, the Avatar world kids & Nora stood in my den. The boys' outfits varied from blue jeans to khakis to dress pants. Aang had a beanie on to hide the arrow on his head. It wasn't a formal dance so we could wear anything we wanted. I had my skort & halter top, Katara had the mini skirt & tank top. Nora was wearing a red mini-dress. She stood next to Thebes, she was going with him, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Zuko. We were ready to head outside, I glanced out the window. Casino's grandfather had a limo waiting for us. It was awesome having an unofficial grandfather that loved to waste money on us. Good ol' Gramps. But I didn't like what I saw in my yard. It was dark but in the trees I could see the Freedom Fighters, waiting to ambush us. Lynx was reaching for the door handle.

"Don't touch that door!"

"Why?" Several people asked.

"The Freedom Fighters are out there," I said quietly.

"What's the worry? Our bending is more than a match for them," Zuko said.

"This is our world, you can't bend here," the Dalton said darkly.

"WHAT?" Haru, Zuko, & Aang gasped. Katara knew already from earlier & it didn't matter with Sokka but that didn't stop him from commenting.

"Oh great! That means I have to take them on myself!"

"No, you'll have help." Lynx said. "We need weapons, any ideas anyone?"

"Unfortunately, come with me." I muttered. I headed upstairs, in the direction of Brian's room. I knocked on the door.

"What?" He yelled.

"Open the door," I growled. I tried the knob, it was locked as usual.

"Make me!"

"Open the door. Now!" I said.

"Nope!"

"Open it or I swear we will break it down!"

"Not even all you dorks put together could break a door." Brian said with a laugh.

"It'll only take one! This is your last chance!" I cried. We didn't have time to waste, trust my brother to screw things up.

"Yeah right!"

"Zuko! Kick it down!" I yelled & stepped out of the way. He shrugged uncertainly but Lynx nodded at him. He stepped up & looked it up down carefully before unleashing a powerful kick just below the door knob.

"What the crap?" Brian bellowed.

"She warned you," Scooter said dryly. I ignored them & tore across the room to the display on the opposite wall. My brother collects weapons, knives, swords, etc. I tugged at the door of one of the cases. There were three sets of broadswords inside. But it was locked.

"Where's the key?" I demanded.

"What do you want with my extremely valuable broadswords?" He shot back.

"There's an ambush waiting outside," Sokka said. I glared at him. I hadn't planned on telling Brian about anything, I was going to blackmail or bribe him into giving us weapons.

"Ambush? Hah! Swords won't do you much good against paint ball guns!" Brian snickered.

"Look out the window," Aang said. Brian was laughing so hard he did without noticing who told him to do it.

"Holy crap! You weren't kidding! We need to call the cops!"

"Oh great," I muttered. I leaned over to Zuko.

"Can you pin him against the wall or throw him in the closet?" I whispered. He nodded & grabbed Brian by the back of his shirt.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Brian yelled. Zuko didn't answer as he tossed him in the closet. Piranha slid a chair under the door knob so it wouldn't open.

"Now where is the key?" I demanded.

"You just locked me in a closet! Do you really think I'm going to tell you?"

"Unless you want us to break into all your weapon cases," Casino said dryly.

"Top drawer of my desk," came the muffled reply. Thebes was the closest to it. He yanked the drawer open & started rummaging through it.

"Got it!" He threw me the key. I opened all the cases.

"Find what you need & take it." I told my friends, grabbing a pair of broadswords for myself. There the closest things to Jedis I can use & I've gotten good with them at martial arts. The Dalton couldn't find what he wanted.

"Biscuit, does he have a naginata?" I handed him a hockey stick.

"Use your imagination." He laughed. Lynx spoke up suddenly.

"Nora, Aang, Haru & Katara stay in here."

"WHAT?"

"You guys can't use weapons like we can. We're gonna have a hard enough time without worrying about you guys. Piranha, Thebes, Macarena, Scooter, & Casino take your paintball guns & cover us from the balcony. That should help confuse them."

"What about Falcon?" Piranha demanded.

"He knows how to use a sword, or at least a Lightsaber. Same principle." Suddenly there was a crash downstairs. Apparently Jet & company had gotten fed up with waiting & broken in.

"ARF! ARF!" Hawkeye barked fiercely, preparing to bolt downstairs. I scooped him up with one hand & handed him to Katara.

"Keep him with you."

I pulled my broadswords apart. Lynx twirled his nunchucks. Sokka held his machete up. Falcon flipped his hand & a half sword. The Dalton whipped his hockey stick around. Zuko swished his broadswords through the air.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

Author's Notes: So what did you think? Oh yeah! If anybody hears anything about auditions or anything like that for the Avatar movie, please let me know. Danke schorn! Leave me some love!

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	4. The Fight, The Dance, & The Way to Camp

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Author's Notes: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You have permission to throw things at me! I've been really busy & obsessed with a new story I'm working on. (BTW, it'll be up soon!) & unfortunately, I'm working again so I'm going to be busy for a while. But I'm on Spring Break now & I will try my absolute best to give you guys at least one more chapter before it's over.

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, don't deserve great readers like you guys!

* * *

**Chp.4 The Fight, The Dance, & The Way to Camp**

I took off my heels & stepped into the hallway, followed by Lynx, the Dalton, Falcon, Zuko, & Sokka. Casino, Piranha, Thebes, Macarena, & Scooter followed them, paint ball guns in hand. I could see Jet, Smellerbee, & the Dude below us, other Freedom Fighters were following them through the broken window. Our hallway is a balcony over our living room. When I was little I used to pile up pillows on the couch & jump off the balcony, landing on them. I always wanted grab the chandelier & swing on it when I did that, but I knew that would be harder to clean up before my parents got home. Time to break that tradition. I put my broadswords in one hand & turned to the boys.

"You guys take the stairs, I'll meet you down there."

"What are you going to do?" Falcon asked suspiciously. I smiled & took off running straight at the railing. I jumped on the low table that held magazines & used it to vault the railing. I caught the chandelier with one arm so I was hanging above the Freedom Fighters.

"Yo! Airplane!" I yelled. Jet's head shot up, followed by an arrow from Longshot. Okay, not my best plan. A bright blue paint ball hit the arrow, deflecting it. I knew Casino had shot it, each of the boys uses a different colored paint. I let go & dropped onto the couch. At that point Lynx & the Dalton had made it down the stairs. It took 3 seconds for Lynx's nunchucks to smash Jet in the back of the head.

"Why are you here?" "Katara belongs to me! & since she's here too, I'm gonna take the Earthbender while I'm at it!" Jet swung his swords at Lynx. Lynx dodged them & raced towards Longshot, who was shooting at the paint ball artillery.

"What do you want with Haru?" The Dalton asked as he hit Smellerbee in the stomach with his hockey stick.

"Not Haru, me!" I yelled with sudden realization, dashing in to fight the Dude.

"Exactly!" Jet yelled as he blocked a blow from Zuko. A split second later he was hit in the face by a purple paint ball, it splattered all over him. Zuko took advantage of the moment to send him flying backwards into Pipsqueak, who was fighting Falcon. Sokka's boomerang cut in, nailing the Dude in the head & knocking him out. I raced to help Falcon with Pipsqueak because he looked like he was having trouble. I leapt up & slit a cut down the giant's shoulder. Unfortunately some of the blood would up on the white rug, I was going to have a hard time explaining this one. Not to mention the broken window & paint balls. Oh well, I had more important things to worry about. Longshot was shooting at the boys on the balcony & they had no cover!

"CASINO!" I shrieked as I saw an arrow nick his shoulder.

"Crud!" I said, trying to figure out what to do.

"Frisbee!" I heard the Dalton yell.

"What?" I cried.

"FRISBEE!" He yelled again. I got what he meant, I took one sword & threw it Frisbee style at Longshot's bow. It hit & snapped the bow clean in half.

"Thank you, Biscuit!" Thebes yelled.

"Now get them out of here!" Scooter added.

"WITH PLEASURE!" Zuko bellowed. He was standing behind Jet with the swords crossed over his neck.

"Everyone out now or I'll slit his throat!" Smellerbee nearly knocked me down running for the door. After they were all out, Zuko shoved Jet through the window.

"Now how about that dance?"

* * *

Twenty minutes later we were walking into the Commons. Shockingly enough none of our clothes had been ruined by the battle. & when we got back upstairs, Katara & Nora patched up Casino's arm. We let my brother out & Casino wrote him a check for 400 dollars to keep quiet & get out so it would look like a break-in. We left all the weapons in my room & headed for the limo. There was a shout as we stepped through the decorative entrance thing.

"Hey! I told you the Strikers would be fashionably late! & you said they wouldn't show!" A flock of girls came rushing up. A flock of girls tends to show up where ever the Strikers are but pretty soon they'd forgotten all about the Strikers.

"Oh my god! Look at the hottie with the scar!" Zuko looked bewildered as a bunch of drooling girls surrounded him. More girls chased the other boys. Sokka soon had several girls smiling flirtatiously at him & Aang had caught the eye of a few freshmen. Meanwhile, I was glaring furiously at the girls that had formed a circle around Haru.

"What Seabiscuit? Can't handle sharing any of your boys? You won't let us get near any of the Strikers, now we can't get near this one either?" A blond girl named Elizabeth asked snootily.

"The Strikers ask me to keep you away from them, with good reason I might add. You creep them out! Now get away from my boyfriend!" I snapped.

"Boyfriend? How did you score a hottie when you spend all your time with other guys?" Her friend Kiki demanded.

"None of your business," I retorted, grabbing Haru's hand & pulling him away from them.

"Remember how to dance?" I asked him.

"How could I forget? It's just like bending," he said. I smiled & started to move. Normally my body gave to the music & flowed with it. I always danced alone or in a circle with my friends, I never really danced with someone. This time our bodies gave to the music & we moved as one. I wasn't in control & neither was he, the beat was guiding us. It really was like bending, you just had to feel it & move with it. I knew we were drawing a crowd, the stares were coming because of how well Haru & I moved together. I heard Falcon comment at some point in the night.

"Wow, Seabiscuit's always been a good dancer but I've never seen her dance like this." I lost all track of time. I had never danced like that & I had never enjoyed it like that. I'd never danced with a guy's arms around me & it felt amazing. At midnight when the dance was over, Casino & Thebes dragged us away from each other.

"Come on guys, they're gonna throw us out." I couldn't believe the dance was already over.

* * *

The limo took everyone home. Lynx told the Avatar world kids to crash at the houses they had already been to with the exception of Katara & me. I'd told my parents I'd be staying at Nora's but her parents are pretty strict & would have thrown a fit about a girl they had never met staying there. So we ended up at Casino's huge house. We bedded down in the den on air mattresses but we didn't sleep much. The second we were laying down we started talking.

"So what's all been going on in your world since we left?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, it's been just over six months since you left. The war's over now. Iroh is now the Fire Lord. He's been removing all the Fire Nation troops with help from Aang & Zuko. Sokka & I went to see our dad. Haru & Suki stayed with Amiboshi to help stabilize the Earth Kingdom. We decided he couldn't handle it on his own." She started laughing & I joined in.

"Amiboshi couldn't handle putting butter on bread on his own!" I snorted. "What else?"

"Stories have been spreading all over about us & you guys. The "Other Worldly Warriors" are now more legendary than the Avatar!" She laughed.

"That's what they call us?" I said between fits of laughter.

"One of the many things they call you. There's "the Celestial Strikers" & a few others," Katara said. At that point I rolled off my air mattress I was laughing so hard.

"You've been called Seabiscuit the sword-bender & Seabiscuit the Jedi master. The Dalton is known as the tattoo-less Airbender & the bender that defied death." She had to keep stopping because my laughter kept interrupting.

"Lynx is the great leader & the Tiger of the East." She continued.

"The Tiger of the East?" I asked.

"I have no idea how they came up with it. It's similar to Iroh's Dragon of the West. So what's happened to you guys since you left?"

"Oh man, for us it's been a lot less glamorous. It's been over a year here. Pretty much its been school & soccer, mostly soccer. We've been going to martial arts three times a week to keep in training. The rest of the team doesn't know about that though, we go early in the mornings before school. Now we're headed for camp in Gatlinburg, TN & you guys are coming with. I'm so excited!"

* * *

The next week ended up passing in a huge blur. Saturday Casino, Nora & I took the Avatar kids to the mall individually to buy clothes while Lynx & the rest of the Strikers taught the others about our world. They went through crash courses on everything from food to movies to music to soccer. When I got home Saturday night, it turned out my parents had believed the break-in story & deemed the house unsafe so I was going to have to keep staying with Nora. But that wasn't going to work because of her parents, by Wednesday I had a deep hate for the air mattresses in Casino's den. We spent Sunday studying like mad for our finals while the Avatar kids watched movies & TV. Thebes helped me with mythology, Lynx & Falcon had geometry, I helped the Dalton & Thebes with chemistry, & Macarena spent his day on English. Scooter & Casino were pouring over their history books. Then we had to worry about our second periods. We took the tests Monday morning & spent the rest of the day studying for our third & fourth classes. The rest of the week was dedicated to more training for the Avatar kids. Thursday night we left for Gatlinburg. The Dalton's uncle & Gramps were driving us up there in two vans. One for us, one for our luggage. Everybody had more than one suitcase, we were going to be there for eight weeks. Neither one of them commented on the new kids, they had known us long enough to trust us about our new friends. We arrived at the resort that was hosting the camp on Friday morning.

"You kids have fun!" Gramps called as he pulled away from where he had dropped up.

"Don't worry!" Lynx yelled.

"We will!"

* * *

Author's Notes: Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait. But if you didn't forget about this story & still like it, review!

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	5. The First Day

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Author's Notes: Well, this is a week later than I planned but oh well. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, can't wait for this summer!

* * *

**Chp.5 The First Day**

"Piranha, Falcon & Scooter, say out here with the luggage. Everybody else, inside!" Lynx ordered & pointed at the building in front of us. We filed into the office to check in & explain the extra five kids to Coach Cohn. Mrs. Hodge, the secretary, stood behind a huge desk. She was looking down at something, her head snapped up when Lynx said hello.

"I should have known you guys would be one of the first teams here. Are you helping some new kids?"

"No mam, Mrs. Hodge. The Strikers have five new members," Lynx said.

"Are they registered? I don't remember them."

"Well, you see. They're friends of ours that we met through a pen pal program. They didn't know we were going to camp when they showed up in a surprise visit for the summer. We were hoping we could take care of all that now. We can pay for them." Lynx explained sheepishly.

"I'd say yes but you're going to have to explain it to Coach Cohn & see what she says."

"Explain what to Coach Cohn?" Coach Cohn herself walked in, followed by a guy I had never seen before. Coach Cohn is a really pretty woman with blonde hair that went halfway down her back. All the boys always go swimming when she's on life guard duty.

"That we have five extra players," Lynx said. He told her what he told Mrs. Hodge.

"If it was anyone but the Strikers I wouldn't believe it. Yes, they can stay. Your chalet is big enough to hold them too. The new girl & Seabiscuit share a room, the usual rules," Coach Cohn said. The man behind her interrupted.

"Are you crazy? Putting girls in an all guy cabin! We'll have two pregnant teenagers by the end of the summer!"

"Yeah, like we'd do that. I've been on this team since I was eight & been sharing a cabin with them since I was nine!" I growled.

"I know Seabiscuit," Coach Cohn said, glaring at the black haired man. "Meet Coach Parker, my new assistant, who has a LOT to learn. Like never argue with the head coach that has been running this camp for ten years." I tried desperately to stifle my laugh, I was more successful than the boys. Coach Cohn smiled at us.

"You guys are in the Squirrel's Nest. Cabin twelve on the chart." We sat there in silence for a second, we'd been looking at the chart. Cabin twelve was 2.3 miles away, the one of the farthest cabins from everything.

"It's a long way, you guys throw your bags in my truck & jump in. I'll drive you up there. This year you will be assigned golf carts. Lynx, come back later to take care of that & registering your new teammates." (The teams with a long way to go always got golf carts, we'd never been far enough away to need them.)

"Thanks Coach!" the Dalton yelled as we bolted back outside. Coach Cohn's huge red ford sat in the driveway.

"Load 'em up!" Macarena shouted, pointing at the bags & then at the truck. Piranha grabbed a bag in each hand & tossed them in the back. It took less than two minutes to have all our bags in there. We jumped us & got settled in between, on, & under the bags. I was wedged between the side of the truck & Sokka who had Casino's bag in his lap.

"Sorry Biscuit, am I squishing you?"

"Not too bad, if gets worse I'll just shove you off of me," I laughed.

"Everybody hold on!" Coach Cohn came out of the office & jumped in the driver's seat.

"Whoa!" Aang yelled as the truck accelerated.

* * *

Ten minutes later, fourteen kids piled out of the truck & headed up the driveway to our chalet. Lynx's hands were full with his bags, the key was in his teeth. He dropped one of his bags to unlock the door. He pushed it open to reveal one heck of a living room. It had a high ceiling, two huge fluffy couches, & a plasma screen TV.

"Wow. I love this camp!" I yelled happily.

"Okay guys, you know the drill. Find your bunks. Seabiscuit & Katara get a room to themselves. Be back in here in 20. GO!" Lynx ordered. I wandered into a side hallway, followed by Katara. We were in a room with an air hockey table & a pool table. I found another room. It contained a king bed with a loft bed over it & it had a private bathroom.

"DIBS!" I yelled, dropping my bags & scurrying up the ladder. Katara laughed at me.

"I guess this is our room then, I'm happy with the bottom. So what do we do now?"

"We've got," I glanced at my watch, "approximately 18 minutes to unpack & get settled." She laughed again. We started unpacking & putting our things in the small open closet & the chest of drawers. Fortunately, we only had a few things that needed to hang up, seeing as most of our clothes were training clothes. I only had two pairs of jeans & one dress to wear over the jeans. I carefully removed the painting of a farmhouse from the wall & hung up my bulletin board. It had a ton of pictures on it, resembling my poster covered walls. There was a huge picture of Hagoromo, Hawkeye & me. Pictures from my favorite movies surrounded it. There was a mini Pirates of the Caribbean 2 poster & a mini She's the Man poster. There was also a poster from the movie Seabiscuit. There were also a lot of really little, really random things, like drawings done by Nora, pictures from Animes & one awesome shot of Orlando Bloom. As I finished straightening up the bulletin board, I glanced at my watch. Our 20 minutes were almost up. I picked my notebook & a pencil up.

"Come on, we gotta get back to the living room."

"Okay dudes & dudettes, we're back at good ol' Premiere Soccer Camp. Time for tradition to take over. We gotta scout this place & map it out. I want Falcon, the Dalton, Seabiscuit, & Thebes scouting. Falcon go around the cabins, they're all in the northwest corner. Figure out who is where & the usual with sizing & such. Mostly importantly, find the Demons' cabin. Seabiscuit take the southwest corner, size up everything. The Dalton take the southeast corner & Thebes cover the northeast. I'll go back to the office & finish checking us in. Piranha, take the new kids down to one of the fields & figure out what positions they'll be best suited for. Macarena & Scooter stay here to map when the scouts report back in. While you're waiting, go ahead & set up the systems we need. Everyone ready? Get what you need before you take off. Its now 12:30, they aren't serving lunch today since most teams don't get here until tonight so we'll order pizza. Be back here by 3:30. On your mark, get set, go!" Lynx ordered.

I headed out the door, clutching my notebook tightly as I kicked off into a hard sprint. I headed due south, weaving around the cabins I passed. Pretty soon I reached a circular gazebo type thing, I looked inside & realized it contained a fire pit. I wrote FIRE PIT in my notebook. Then I carefully walked around the edges, spreading my strides as far as I could & counting as I moved. When I was done, I put a dash next to FIRE PIT, followed by 6 STRIDES AROUND. Basically it meant it had taken me 16 strides to walk in a circle. Then I did the same thing walking to the fence. 5 STRIDES TO FENCE. This is what I always did on the first day we arrived at camp, walked around measuring things with my strides. I covered the entire southwest corner & wrote everything down. It took me the better part of 2 hours, including the Commons. When I was sure I had everything, I headed back to the Squirrel's Nest.

* * *

The run back took me only a few minutes. I leapt up the steps & walked through the unlocked door. We'd lock it when there wasn't anyone there, Lynx gets to keep the keys. I found Scooter & Macarena sitting at the bar in the dining room/kitchen. Scooter's laptop was already hooked up; speakers, plug-in mouse, charger & everything. Macarena had his drawing tools out.

"Hey Biscuit! Good timing, we just got everything set up. Let me see your notes," Scooter said. I threw it to him & walked over to the bar. I took a long stride, the same size as the ones I had used to measure the camp. Macarena ran a tape measure from the heel of my back foot to the toe of my front foot.

"3 feet, 1 inch," Macarena announced. Scooter ran it through his formula. He showed the results to Macarena on the computer screen.

"Alright, I'll get started then. Thanks Biscuit! Why don't you head back to the office & see what Lynx wants you to do?"

"Okey-dokey, I'm off then," I replied & took off.

* * *

I loped up to the office to find Lynx standing next to 3 golf carts with Coach Cohn.

"How are you going to drive all 3 of these to your cabin?" She asked him.

"Easy, I'll drive one & he'll drive the other. Then I'll drive him back to get the third one!" I cut in.

"Yeah," Lynx said. Coach Cohn handed me the keys to one of them, I jumped in & turned it on. Lynx & I raced back to the Squirrel's Nest. He went inside for a minute to order the pizza.

"What is that?" Zuko's voice came from behind me. I turned around.

"What is what?"

"The thing you're sitting in," Haru said.

"It's a golf cart, a little car. So what positions were you destined to play?" I asked.

"Apparently I was born to be a midfielder," Zuko said. I was surprised, I was the only mid on the Strikers. Falcon used to be a mid but he had to take Piranha's position when he became the goalie.

"Katara & I are both forwards," Sokka said.

"& I'm defense," Haru said.

"What about you?" I asked Aang. Piranha had a humongous smile on his face.

"We have a new keeper!"

* * *

Author's Notes: Leave me some love! & Check my site, I'm gonna go update it.

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	6. The Strikers

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Author's Notes: Okay, this is a really important chapter & I'm not sure I did it justice. I'm suffering from a concussion, which why you didn't have this sooner. (I got hit with a dodgeball by a senior from the soccer team.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, I have a scrambled brain.

* * *

**Chp.6 The Strikers**

14 teenagers were happily piled around the living room of the Squirrel's Nest discussing Piranha's news. Katara & Lynx shared one of two the love seats. The Dalton, Piranha, Thebes & Falcon had all squeezed onto the couch. Scooter & Macarena were in the kitchen with Aang. Sokka & Casino had gotten the other love seat to themselves. Zuko was sitting on an ottoman & so was Haru. I was leaning up against his legs. The pizza was being passed around.

"Seriously, Aang's a great keeper. He's way better than me!" Piranha said for the third time.

"That's awesome!" Thebes said. I nodded my agreement. Piranha was good & everything, the best keeper on the Strikers by far, but he wasn't great.

"So we can change up our line up?" The Dalton asked.

"YES!" Several voices said.

"I can finally get back to midfield!" Falcon cheered.

"You really hate stopper don't you?" Lynx asked.

"Heck yeah!"

"Then why do you play it?" Katara asked confusedly.

"It was Piranha's position, when he became the keeper, I had to take it," Falcon said shortly.

"Why did Piranha become keeper?" Sokka asked. Casino & I exchanged dark looks, most of the original Strikers looked uncomfortable or angry.

"You'll find out later," Lynx said.

"Why not now?" Aang asked.

"Later!" Lynx repeated angrily.

* * *

At 7:15, we headed out of the chalet for the Commons, dinner started at seven. The cabin had been rather quiet since Lynx had snapped at Aang. We'd sat there for a while, then we went to get changed for dinner. The first night of camp, you come in looking your best. I was dressed in jeans & a black tank top, my Earthbending symbol proudly displayed. The year before I'd hidden with a bandage because it was a little weird I was 14 & had a tattoo. This year Lynx told me go ahead & show it, mostly because it was too much work to hide it. Lynx tossed me the key to one of the golf carts, the Dalton got the other one. Casino, Sokka, Haru, & Zuko squeezed into my cart. It was a really REALLY tight fit. We drove down there, nice & slow.

"What do you think is gonna happen tonight?" Casino asked.

"I don't know, it's the first night, we never know," I answered. I parked next to the Dalton's cart.

"Think the Demons are here yet?" Falcon asked as we started to walk in.

"I don't know, but if they want a fight, we're ready for them." Lynx said darkly. When we went through the doors, cheers erupted across the room. I smiled, it was good to be back. I started to look around, I saw the Wolves grinning at us & the Tigers giggling at the sight of the hottest guys in camp. Then I spotted the Demons at the back table, each of them wearing an identical scowl. We walked towards the serving area & picked up our trays. I heaped everything on in huge portions, Premier has the BEST food. Once Haru, Casino & I had our trays loaded down, we headed for the Wolves' table.

"Yo!" I said as I sat down.

"Seabiscuit! Casino! New person!" Phantom said.

"Hi Phantom," Casino said with a laugh.

"Who's the new guy?" Jurassic asked.

"This is Haru, my boyfriend," I replied.

"Whoa, Seabiscuit finally got a boyfriend & it isn't a member of the Strikers!" Rhythm said surprisedly.

"No, I'm a new member of the Strikers," Haru said.

"Wow, somebody needs to let who ever was running that pool know," Phantom said.

"What pool?" I asked sharply.

"Dudette, there's been bets going since you joined the Strikers on who you'd end up with. My money was on Lynx," Rhythm said.

"Nope, he's got a new girlfriend now," Casino told him.

"How many new Strikers are there?" Jurassic asked.

"Five," I said & told them the pen pal story Lynx had told Mrs. Hodge.

"Wow," Phantom whistled.

"So how did you get Seabiscuit to go out with you? Guys here have been trying for years!" Rhythm asked. Casino & I both threw French fries at him.

"What? Can't blame a guy for asking!" The whole table started laughing. We were soon joined by the rest of the Strikers.

By eight, everyone was done eating & all the food had been cleared away, but everyone was still in the Commons. Coach Cohn was heading for the stage.

"Welcome to another year at Premier Soccer Camp!" She shouted. Cheers erupted all over the place.

"Welcome back our old players, we're glad to have our new ones!" More cheers.

"Our old players know the drill, the teams are announced & then the celebration begins! First up is the Sabers!" Spike, the Sabers' captain, leapt to his feet. A few cheers sounded, but not a lot, the Sabers aren't that popular. He announced each of his teammates' names & they all stood up to cheers. 6 more teams went, followed by the Demons. When Coach Cohn announced their name, the only teams clapping were the Demons themselves, the Sabers & the Penguins. Kraken, the captain, stood up. None of their players got any applause except from the teams that had clapped in the first place. Most of the other kids were making faces or yelling insults. When a red-headed guy's name was called, our entire table swore. Once the Demons were done, Coach Cohn called the Tigers, one of the girl's teams. Lipstick eagerly got up. She's the captain of the Tigers, in love with Lynx, & my rival. We hate each other with a passion. After the Tigers were the Wolves, when Phantom stood up, the Strikers were clapping the loudest. Each player got a standing ovation from us when they stood up. The Wolves aren't the best team but they'd always been good friends of ours. At last Coach Cohn said,

"& now, last but definitely not least, the Strikers!" Lynx jumped on the table, he was the only captain in the room that could have gotten away with it.

"Hello soccer players! I'm Lynx, proud captain of the Strikers!" The entire room was cheering, minus the Demons & their allies. He'd planned this night on our way up to camp.

"Ready to meet the rest of us? The Dalton!" The Dalton jumped from his seat into a clear spot on the floor. He began to break dance. Lynx gave him a moment.

"Falcon! Scooter!" Those two leapt up & began to duel with fake Lightsabers.

"Thebes! Piranha! Casino!" The three of them did a pyramid, Piranha leapt off the top to a very loud cheer.

"Aang!" Aang stood up on his seat & back flipped off.

"Sokka! Zuko!" They stood up on their seats & started sparring. Girls were swooning at the sight of them.

"Katara!" She jumped up in front of him & kissed him, much to the shock of every other team in the Commons. After a minute, Lynx pulled away from Katara. They jumped off the table together.

"Macarena! Seabiscuit!" The two of us leapt onto the table & began dancing. Not together, just dancing. At Lynx's signal, Macarena jumped off.

"Haru!" Haru jumped up & kissed me, then we leapt off the table together.

"There you have it! The legendary Strikers!" Lynx yelled.

"Wow!" Coach Cohn said. "Well, we have new players everywhere this year! Now let the dance begin!" The song _Hips Don't Lie_ began to play.

"Think they're gonna move the tables?" Casino asked me.

"I hope not!" I leapt back onto ours. "WAHOO!" Lipstick jumped onto the table across from me.

"Dance off, racehorse!"

"You're on, dipstick!"

* * *

It was past 9:30 when we got back to the Squirrel's Nest. Katara & I headed back to our room. Basically we were just going to kill time until ten. When ten rolled around, I told Katara,

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." I led her up the stairs & out onto the second deck, where the rest of the team was already assembled in a circle. I took my place between the Dalton & Piranha. Katara sat between Lynx & Aang. The Notebook & the Ball sat in the center inside a circle of candles.

"Here we are, another summer at camp. The original Strikers & the new members. This is the first time we've had new members since Seabiscuit, Falcon & Thebes joined the team. It's been 7 years since then & 7 years since Razzmatazz betrayed us." Lynx said. Aang interrupted him.

"Who's Razzmatazz?"

"Razzmatazz is the most hated player at this camp. He's a member of the Demons." Piranha said darkly.

"Why does everyone hate him?" Katara asked.

"Because of what he did to his former teammates," Falcon said.

"Who?" Zuko asked.

"Us," Thebes replied.

"It started because he hated me," I said & began the story.

"_My few weeks at camp, most of the team tried to make me feel welcome. One guy definitely did not. Razzmatazz desperately wanted me to quit. He did everything he could to try to get me to. He'd never pass to me, he'd always pretend to forget I was there. One day in our game against the Demons, he was playing keeper & hurled the ball directly into my face. He gave me a concussion. Lynx, the Dalton & the others were furious. They confronted him about it in front of the entire camp. Casino told him he had changed. Razzmatazz argued the team had changed since they let a girl on the team. Lynx told him either deal with the changes & accept the girl or leave the team. Razzmatazz left & joined the Demons. In the years since, he's hurt almost every member of the Strikers." _

"I've said it every summer. We never expected Razzmatazz to betray us & we will never expect any of the current members to betray us either. But if you do, you will never be forgiven." Lynx said darkly. "But on a happier note, this is our 7th year together."

"Tonight you take the oath that we all took when we joined," Piranha added. Lynx opened the Notebook & handed it to Katara.

"Can you read this?" He asked her. Somehow she could.

"My name is Katara & this night I swear loyalty to my team. On my honor & the honor of my teammates, I will give everything I have to this team. Skill, friendship, & love. I honor my teammates with all that I am this night, this summer & the rest of our lives." Lynx handed her the Ball.

"Now you sign it." After she signed the Ball, the Notebook went to Aang.

"My name is Aang & this night I swear loyalty to my team. On my honor & the honor of my teammates, I will give everything I have to this team. Skill, friendship, & love. I honor my teammates with all that I am this night, this summer & the rest of our lives." Aang signed the Ball when he was done. Zuko, Sokka & Haru all took the oath & signed the Ball.

"Congratulations, you guys are now members of the Strikers!" Lynx said. "When we met we became the ultimate soccer team & the ultimate friends."

"Tonight we meet to honor that friendship," the Dalton said.

"& to honor all the soccer players that came before," I added.

"Soccer, it's what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitationals, countless pairs of different types of shoes, water, Gatorade, & coaches you hate but appreciate. They live for the way it feels when you beat the team next to you by 1 point in & you know those 2 extra sprints you ran in practice were worth it. They live for the way you become a family with your team, they live for the countless songs you sing in your head when you're running ALL those suicides. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the practices, the memories, the pain. It's who they are. It's who we are," Lynx said. We blew out the candles.

"It's who the Strikers are."

* * *

Author's Notes: So what did you think? The passage Lynx says at the end, I got from my friend Mohammed's Myspace.

ALSO: If you go to my website & click the Fiction Press link, you can find the first part of the series of original stories about the Strikers. (Without the Avatar characters).

* * *


	7. Settling In

* * *

Author's Notes: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG! I blame the tournament & writer's block. & this isn't even any good.

The Strikers now have a Myspace!!!! I do not own Avatar. I wish I did so I would not be suffering from Avatar Withdrawal Syndrome!

* * *

**Chp.7 Settling In**

The next morning we drove down early for breakfast.

"So what's going on today?" Haru asked from where he was squished next to me.

"Breakfast, strength training, speed training & the Exhibition, plus whatever Coach Cohn has planned tonight." Casino said.

"What are strength training, speed training, & the Exhibition?" Zuko asked.

"Strength training means weight room & speed training means a lot of short, hard runs. The Exhibition is where the best forward, midfielder & defender from each team go against the other teams' best players. It's basically a chance to show off what you got," I answered.

"& the Strikers have nothing but the best!" Casino chimed in.

"So who plays in the Exhibition for the Strikers?" Sokka asked.

"Seabiscuit, Lynx & the Dalton of course," Casino said.

"Excellent," Zuko replied.

* * *

We loaded our trays & headed for the table where the Wolves were sitting. 

"Hey Phantom, hey Rhythm!"

"What's up, Strikers?"

"Food," Sokka & Casino said together.

"I really missed this," Thebes said as he & Macarena sat down.

"I know, dude," Rhythm said, his mouth half full.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" I teased.

"Yep, I just didn't listen."

"Seabiscuit!" A voice I didn't know yelled from behind me. I turned around to stare at an older teen but he was looking somewhere else. He walked up behind Macarena.

"Seabiscuit!" No one said anything. The guy hit Macarena in the back.

"Seabiscuit!" Macarena turned around.

"What did you call me?"

"Seabiscuit, I hear you're the best midfielder in this camp. That is about to change, pal. I'm gonna to wipe up the field with you. What do you say to that?"

"Why is he calling him Seabiscuit?" Sokka asked.

"Who are you?" Thebes demanded.

"Rex, new member of the Warriors & new leading midfielder at this camp. What do you say to that, Seabiscuit?"

"I say, you're out of your mind," I said.

"No one asked you," Rex growled at me.

"You said 'What do you say to that, Seabiscuit?'," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I was asking him," Rex said, pointing at Macarena.

"Why do you think I'm Seabiscuit?"

"Because last night your captain announced everyone on your team. Duh," Rex said.

"Duh is right," Haru said. The table laughed appreciatively.

"You still haven't answered, Seabiscuit," Rex said. I stood up.

"I told you, you're out of your mind."

"& I told you, no one asked you!"

"Actually, you did."

"No, I didn't!" I noticed the Warriors watching us.

"Did you guys set him up?" I asked them. Their captain smiled.

"Well, he was going on & on about how he'd be the best midfielder at camp. I just said he'd have to beat Seabiscuit, the Strikers' center midfielder," Laser said with a huge grin.

"& I will!" Rex said, looking at Macarena.

"Dude, I am not Seabiscuit!" Macarena retorted.

"Ha ha ha, then who is?" Rex demanded.

"I hate to do this," I said.

"Do what?" Rex snapped.

"I'm Seabiscuit!" I cried.

"No you're not!" Rex yelled, he turned to his laughing teammates.

"You never said Seabiscuit was a girl!"

"Never said she was a guy either!"

* * *

Lynx & the Dalton slaughtered everyone in the Exhibition. Rex gave me a little trouble, but not too much. I still beat him & he still sulked about it. We went through training with no problem. Turns out Zuko could bench press Katara & me at the same time if he wanted to. In our free time we went down to the lake to swim. We swam out to the dock to check out the diving boards. Sokka was the first to try the high dive. 

"Wow, this is really high up," he squeaked.

"Hence the name high dive," the Dalton said dryly.

"Just jump already, I wanna try it," Aang said.

"I can't," Sokka squeaked.

"Then get down," Piranha said.

"I can't," Sokka squeaked again.

"Get down!" the Dalton yelled at him.

"No!"

"I'll get him down," I said & pushed Aang away from the ladder so I could climb up.

"Are you going to do something mean?" Haru asked.

"Of course!" I said & moved up the ladder.

"Come on Sokka, all you gotta do is jump. It's not that hard," I said, coming up behind him on the board. He was standing close to the edge, staring down at the water. He turned around to glare at me.

"Get away from me!" Sokka yelped.

"Hey! Look at that!" I cried, pointing at something over his shoulder.

"What?" He said, turning around. I pushed him off the board.

"AHH!" He screamed until he hit the water. I jumped after him.

"Told you it was easy!" I said after I resurfaced.

"I hate you."

* * *

That night when we went down to dinner, we were all smiling & having a blast. 

"Ready for whatever Coach Cohn's got planned?" Lynx asked before we went into the Commons.

"Always!" Falcon yelled.

"What does she normally plan?" Katara asked.

"Different stuff, but it's always a competition among the teams," Scooter answered.

"Remember the charades competition?" Thebes snorted.

"Dude, don't go there. That was way too embarrassing," Piranha groaned.

"What happened?" Aang asked.

"You don't wanna know," Casino snickered.

"Oh shut up! You're the only one who didn't compete!" I said & smacked him in the back of the head.

"That's why it's funny," Casino retorted.

"Shut it you," the Dalton said & opened the door to the Commons. We got our food & headed for the Wolves' table.

"Yo!" Phantom said through a mouthful of macaroni & cheese.

"Any word on what Coach Cohn has planned?" Casino asked.

"Rumor is it's a dance off, but I doubt it," Rhythm said.

"I hope not, I got into one of those with Lipstick last night," I groaned.

"What are you complaining about? Between Macarena, the Dalton & you the Strikers can't be beat at dancing," Phantom said.

"We're the ones that are in trouble," Jurassic said, "none of us can dance."

"Hey!" Rhythm protested, "How do you think I got my name?"

"I thought that was because you're good with drums," Jurassic said.

"No!"

"Attention please!" Coach Cohn yelled from the stage.

"As our old players know, & I'm sure our new players have heard by now, its time for the first non-soccer competition! Each captain will come up to the stage & draw a slip out of a hat. Each slip has a song on it from a movie; your team will have 20 minutes to prepare a routine to that song & then will have to come up here to perform it! Every player must participate!" Cheers & groans went out all around the room. Casino & I grinned at each other as Lynx headed for the stage. Singing & dancing wasn't our strongest point but it wasn't our weakest either.

"What did we get?" Falcon asked when Lynx came back.

"Happy Feet- _Boogie Wonderland_."

"Oh boy."

* * *

The Wolves had just finished _Hakuna Matata_ when Coach Cohn called the Strikers. We left the table, jumped on the stage & fell into position. Katara stood at the top of the stage with Aang, Sokka, Thebes & Scooter behind her, doing the guys voices. The rest of us stood off to the side behind them. Katara sang Gloria's parts & I did the other girls. Lynx, Haru, the Dalton, Zuko & Falcon did the Amigos. The Dalton rapping in Spanish was very interesting. Macarena danced on Mumble's parts, Casino & I copied him when the echo came on. At the end the Dalton came out & did one of his break-dance routines. When it ended we got a huge round of applause. We gladly leapt off the stage & headed back to our seats. The Warriors followed us with an amazing _We're All in this Together_ from High School Musical. But the coaches destroyed everybody with their version of _Summer Nights_ from Grease. 

"All right then, I think we all know who wins! The coaches are champions for the first time! Now, as you know, Sundays there is no training & we go on a field trip. Tomorrow we will be going to a local amusement park called Dollywood. Anyone who wants to go must be on the bus by 8:30. Anyone who is left behind has free time all day. Admission is free but you will need spending money. Now you all can return to your cabins." Coach Cohn announced. We said goodbye to the Wolves & went outside.

"So are we going tomorrow?" Piranha asked Lynx.

"Of course!"

"3 huge roller coasters, a water thrill ride, & a giant stick that falls over. Sounds like a cool park," Scooter said as he looked at his laptop.

"I can't believe you looked it up on Google as soon as we got in here," Falcon said, roaring with laughter.

"What's a roller coaster?" Aang asked.

"Isn't that how we got to Lige-San?" Sokka asked. "Riding the waves on those boards, right?"

"Dude, that's surfing, AKA the Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride. A real roller coaster is a bit different," the Dalton said.

"So what's a real roller coaster like?" Haru asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow, & don't worry, I'll hold your hand so you don't get scared," I teased, smiling at him & leaning closer.

"ARGH!" My head snapped up. Casino scowled at me & walked out of the room.

"What's the matter with him?" I asked.

"You need to hear that from him, Biscuit," Falcon said & followed Casino out.

* * *

Author's Notes: If I do not update within the next month, you permission to poke me with sticks & throw rocks at me.

* * *


	8. Missing Players

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm really, really sorry for the long wait. I've had the worst writer's block ever and my life has been crazy. But I think you'll notice an improvement in the quality of the story, none of this was forced and I'm quite proud of it. I've learned a lot during my six month break, I went to a big workshop, wrote a thirty something page script, and I've started roleplaying. Seriously, if you want to improve your writing, I highly suggest roleplaying. If you're interested, just message me and I'll gladly give you the links to some great ones.

Also, this story is going to be much shorter than originally planned, I'm cutting a lot of stuff that would have been forced crap and skipping on to what I had planned for the last ten or so chapters so this going to move very fast.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar but I wish I did so I could air episodes in America first!

* * *

**Chp.8 Missing Players**

I didn't get the chance to go talk to Casino that night. He and Falcon had locked the door to their room and I was too embarrassed to go talk to them. I couldn't understand what on earth had upset him so much. I kissed Haru goodnight and went to bed early, but it took me hours to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, trying to think of something I'd done that could hurt my best friend so much. Just as I was finally falling asleep, I saw lightning split the night sky. I heard Katara whisper to me but I didn't answer her.

"That's weird, where's the thunder?"

* * *

The next day everything changed. Premier Soccer Camp would never be the same.

We went to the theme park and had a blast. Aang seemed to love the roller coasters and the water rides were a hit with Katara. The others had fun too; Haru won me a big stuffed pony at one of the games. When it was time to head back to camp, we had to split up and take different buses since the one we had started to get on was almost full.

When I waved goodbye with one of my stuffed pony's hooves to Lynx, the Dalton, Katara and Aang, I didn't realize it was the beginning of the greatest adventure the Striker's would ever have.

"See you back at the cabin!" Lynx called, it was the first time he'd ever lied to me.

* * *

It was nearly eleven thirty, an hour past curfew and they weren't home yet. We were started to get worried.

"You don't think the bus wrecked…" Casino muttered nervously, looking me in the eye for the first time since dinner the day before. I clutched my necklace, squeezing it tight as I always did if I was upset. Haru put his arm around me, trying to be comforting but I shrugged him off. I didn't want to be comforted; I wanted Lynx and the other back.

"Nah dude, we would have heard already if one of the buses had wrecked," Falcon pointed out, but he still looked like he was going to be sick. I looked around at my teammates, each one praying our captain and friends were safe.

"Hey, weren't they on the same bus as the Wolves?" Thebes asked suddenly, my head snapped around to look at him. He hadn't said a word in hours, only paced around the back of the living room.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Sokka asked him.

"Why don't we just go ask Phantom? He might know where they're at, for all we know Lynx and Katara are off making out somewhere." Thebes said, shrugging nervously. I pushed my hair behind my ear and stood up.

"They might be, but that doesn't explain Aang and the Dalton. I'll go talk to Phantom. Who's coming with me?" I asked, looking around. I was hoping Casino would volunteer, and then maybe I'd get a chance to talk to him. But I'd take whoever was willing to go, I was not going to go out alone when members of my team were disappearing. Falcon shook his head and stood up, motioning to the others.

"We all need to go, that way no one has to have bad news broken to them later." He looked panicked at what he had just said. "Uhh, I mean if there is bad news…" He trailed off nervously.

I nodded at him, he was right. But there had to be some form of bad news, otherwise Lynx never would have been out so late without saying something to one of us. The boys slowly got to their feet and began to head towards the door, everyone seemed to be on edge, waiting and worrying. We didn't know what we would find out about our missing friends, but it certainly wasn't something we expected.

"We're breaking curfew," Macarena muttered softly. I turned and glared at him.

"Who gives a damn?" How could he think of getting in trouble now? Our captain and three other players had been missing for hours!

We quietly moved out the cabin door, trying to stay in the shadows as much as possible. I didn't care if we got in trouble, but if we got caught it had to be on the way back otherwise we'd have to wait until morning to find out what had happened. Falcon raised his hand and pointed forward silently, giving us the signal to run. I grabbed Haru's hand and held on tight, trying to pull strength from his steadiness but his hand shook as badly as my own.

* * *

Our tennis shoes made almost no noise on the grass, only a slight pounding sound because there were so many of us running at once. Falcon led the way, he was the one who had explored this part of the camp and found the Wolves' cabin. It was a straight shot, there were no cabins in between but we had to go the long way to avoid being seen. We ducked around the sides of the cabins that held the Warriors and Intensity. I glanced in the window of Intensity's cabin, they were one of the girl's teams and not a very good one. One turned and looked out the window but I ducked before she could see me. If we were noticed by them it would cause a ruckus, their captain would have no problem calling the coaches and report us for spying on them.

At last we reached the Wolves' cabin, only panting slightly after the run. I looked in the window with Haru and Zuko, we couldn't see anyone but there was a light on in a room that we couldn't see into. I nodded to Falcon, he and Casino began banging heavily on the door. It took only a moment for Phantom to come rushing to answer us. Rhythm stood behind him, staring out the window at us.

"Dudes?" Phantom asked, clearly surprised at our late night visit.

"It's the middle of the night!" Rhythm called from behind him.

"Oh really?" I retorted dryly, they should know if we were here now something was up.

"Have you seen Lynx, the Dalton, Katara and Aang?" Casino asked, I could tell his was trying to hide the panic in his voice. Falcon looked puzzled, staring at us with a rather blank expression.

"Not since they got off the bus, they were heading back towards your cabin. Did they never show up?" Phantom asked. I rolled my eyes and glanced at Haru who also looked annoyed.

"Honestly," Falcon said, sounding exasperated, "Would we be here asking if you've seen them in the middle of the night if they were at the cabin?"

Phantom looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, stupid question. You want me to get my guys up and help you look for them? I take it you haven't told the coaches?" Falcon and Casino looked at each other then back at the rest of us. I shook my head, Zuko and Haru did the same. Casino turned back to Phantom.

"No, its okay. We'll manage on our own, and yeah, the coaches don't know. I'd like to keep it that way." He shrugged at the other team's captain. Falcon turned and motioned for us to move out.

"Thanks Phantom, we'll let you know if we find them."

* * *

We walked back this time, very slowly and out in the open instead of skirting around the cabins. It wouldn't matter if we were caught now, we still had no information and no idea where to look. We were almost at the cabin when I happened to look back behind it at the surrounding woods, there was a gentle white glow emitting from the trees. I nudged Zuko to get his attention and pointed at it.

"What is that?" He asked quizzically, drawing the others' attention to it. I didn't say a word, only stared at it. It looked familiar and somehow I had a feeling it was linked to Lynx and the others. I took off at a run, heading for the light without a word to my team. I heard them chasing after me.

"Biscuit, what are you doing?" Casino called quietly, trying not to make much noise. I dashed into the woods, darting around the trees and searching for the source of the light. I skidded to a halt in a clearing, my mouth falling open in shock. I heard the others behind me, all making noises of aw and surprise. A beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair was floating off the ground in the center of the clearing. The light seemed to radiate off her as she smiled at us.

"Takiko!" Haru gasped.

* * *

Author's Notes: I have the next two chapters written, the more reviews I get, the faster they go up!

* * *


	9. An Unexpected Visitor

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar.

* * *

**Chp.9 An Unexpected Visitor**

My mouth hung open as I stared up at the woman. What on earth was she doing here? The Empress of the Heavens was floating in front of us, right after the disappearance of our teammates. This could not be good.

"Your Eminence," Zuko stuttered, sweeping into a low bow. I hurriedly copied him and the rest of the team followed the suit.

"No need for that," Takiko's voice rang out.

"Um, not to be rude, but who are you?" Scooter asked, taking a step forward and scratching his head. She smiled at him.

"I am Takiko, Empress of the Heavens. I am here to tell you what has become of your friends and what must now be done to set things right again."

I exchanged terrified looks with Zuko, the last time she had spoken to us it had turned out she had used us to save the world and it sounded like something of that nature was going to happen again. I glanced over at Casino and Falcon and the rest of the Strikers, they just looked plain confused.

"Lynx, the Dalton, Aang and Katara were captured and taken away by an old enemy of yours," She said, looking directly at me. I bit my lip, who was an old enemy of mine? Razzmatazz and Lipstick were the first that came to mind but that didn't sound quite right. Neither of them would be smart enough to handle capturing four members of the Strikers.

"Who?" Piranha asked nervously, his voice came out in a squeak.

"Seabiscuit, I trust you remember the battle that nearly claimed your life," She said, her tone soft and gentle. I hated it when adults just wouldn't explain things clearly themselves and they wanted the kids to figure things out.

"When I fought Azula?" I asked, shrugging. "What does that have to do with Lynx's disappearance? She's dead!"

Takiko shook her head with a sad smile.

"Her death, and the deaths of thousands of others with evil in their hearts, has caused the problem. They were in the land of the dead within the Spirit World, but somehow they have crossed into this world."

I clasped my hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp. Zuko's mouth hung open in shock, Haru put his arm around me and pulled me close to him, squeezing a litter tighter than he normally would.

"Azula is now leading an army of some thousand dead Fire Nation soldiers that want revenge against those who caused them to lose the war. They have a base set up in the woods behind us, they know you are here and plan to attack the camp. Once it is destroyed they will turn their attention to the rest of this world."

I noticed the other boys exchanging confused looks. Scooter raised his hand like he was in school and took a step forward.

"So we just have to alert the military and let them go in there and wipe them out, right? Then everything will be okay, right?"

Takiko shook her head again.

"No, I'm afraid not. These spirits cannot be destroyed by weapons such as the one found in this world, to force these spirits back to the land of the dead they must be fought with blade and bending. They must be killed by a method possible in the world they were born in." She looked directly at me again, then returned her gaze to the others.

"You must fight them if you do not want this world to fall into a war such as the one you have already experienced. More spirits will come everyday, even those that once were Air, Water and Earth will now be fighting alongside Fire. If they come here and defeat the people of this world, they will have a second chance at living."

I shook my head, trying to grasp everything I had just been told. I didn't see how this was possible. How were ten kids supposed to defeat an army of thousands? I stared up at her, she seemed to read my mind.

"You have an untapped force that you can use, you will find a way. I promise any that you choose to follow you into battle will not be in true danger, I can bring them back as I did you. But those who have connected with the other world are not so lucky, the Strikers themselves may fall in this battle."

She nodded gravely, then reached inside her cloak. She held her hand out, there were three rings. Two with dark green stones and one the color of blood.

"Seabiscuit, Zuko and Haru, for what is to come you will need your bending. Wear these and your abilities will return to you."

My eyes went wide and I quickly snatched up one of the rings, smoothly sliding it on. I felt the power surge through me and I felt the connection with the ground beneath me. I grinned sheepishly at the Empress but I knew it was all right. I saw the happy glow in Zuko and Haru's eyes, they were as thrilled as I was with our powers back. But it wasn't enough to override the intense horror filling me.

"You must rescue your friends and defeat Azula, by any means necessary." Takiko said, looking me directly in the eye, then she faded away into the moonlight. I looked back at my teammates, the horror I felt was reflected in their eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but Falcon shook his head.

"First let's get back to the cabin."

* * *

We were not any calmer now that we knew where our friends were, if anything we were more panicked than ever. Thebes had resumed his pacing and Falcon had now joined him. Piranha was sitting in a chair, his head in his hands. Sokka was slumped against the wall, looking as if he was about to be sick. I sat on the stairs with Haru behind me, trying to think this through. Zuko was the first to speak from his position sitting on top of the couch. 

"Any ideas anyone?" No one really said anything but a few mumbled noises that I couldn't make sense of.

"Lynx normally comes up with the ideas, he's the captain." Macarena muttered, he was laying with his face pressed into the floor. Sokka lifted his head up.

"Don't you have a second in command or something?" He asked, pressing a hand to his forehead. I felt bad for him, his sister was gone and she was really all he had.

"Yeah," Scooter muttered, "but he's gone too."

The Dalton was the second in the ranking system. I was starting to feel sick when I realized what was coming next.

"Well who's next? There is a line of authority, I remember you guys talking about it when we went to battle." Zuko asked, staring around the room.

"Isn't Falcon next?" Piranha asked, looking back and forth nervously.

"No, I'm not." Falcon said firmly. "I'm fifth in the chain."

"Then who's next?" Macarena asked, his voice was still muffled by the floor. "I don't remember, we've never been without both of them before."

I took a deep breath and stood up.

"I am."

My voice shook slightly.

I was the new captain of the Strikers and I was going to have to lead them against the greatest threat we had ever faced.

I seriously wanted to throw up.

* * *

Author's Notes: Review! Then you get chapter ten!

* * *


	10. Untapped Potential

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I would to like to announce that I have quit soccer. I'm not looking for pity but I feel you have a right to know since this story is based around soccer. I really am the captain of my team, I had a second injury and it was too much. I couldn't lead them anymore so I stepped down. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar.

* * *

**Chp.10 Untapped Potential**

The boys stared at me but I stood as firm as I could. Casino nodded deeply.

"She's right, she's the third in command." His voice shook a little too. I had never been so scared in my life. I had no idea how to lead a team in a game, let alone in a war.

"We're doomed," Thebes muttered. I glared furiously at him.

"Thanks for the support!" I snarled sarcastically. I needed them behind me if I was going to do this. I could do this, I had to otherwise we'd never see Lynx and the Dalton again. So this is what Aang felt like being the Avatar, now I could sympathize with the kid. I took a deep breath, the wheels in my brain turning furiously as I tried to figure out what we needed to do. I thought over Takiko's words, untapped force, weapons found in the other world. This was not going to be easy. I decided to handle the force first.

"Okay, what untapped force do we have access to?" I asked, glancing quickly from one to the next and praying one of them would have an idea. They all just stared back at me blankly. I began to pace nervously, my mind racing. Too bad we weren't back home with this happening, we could have pulled the kids from school and taught them to fight. But no, this had to happen in the summer at a huge soccer camp. I stopped pacing as it hit me. The kids in the camp! All these years we'd pitted our teams against each other, but that was the answer! If we pulled the teams together, we'd have an incredible fighting force! I dashed over to the wall where the map Macarena had drawn was pinned up. He had made it for preparing for the paintball gun war that happened every year but this was more important.

"Okay, listen up!" I barked, then glanced at the clock. It was nearly twelve thirty and it would be one before this was all done. No one was going to be very happy with me but I really didn't care. "I want you each to go to the team I tell you and talk to their captain, have them get their team up and out and meet us on Field H by one, it's the farthest from the coaches' cabins so hopefully no one will see us." I looked around at them, most were nodding all though Sokka and Haru looked confused. "Haru-Warriors, Cabin 1! Falcon-Wolves, Cabin 6! Piranha-Total Velocity, Cabin 3! Scooter-The Bobcats, Cabin 4! Thebes-Rebels, Cabin 7! Macarena-The Vipers, Cabin 8! Zuko-The Stallions, Cabin 10! Sokka-The Dragons, Cabin 11! Casino, go down to Field H and wait there in case anyone gets there more quickly than I do. Get them sitting down and quiet." I ordered quickly, barely pausing to breathe.

The boys looked stunned.

"Why?" Thebes asked, his mouth hanging open. That had been happening a lot tonight.

"The teams, they're the untapped force we need for this," I said firmly.

"Are you crazy? How are we going to teach them to fight?" Piranha yelled. "Most of us can't even fight!"

I pushed my hair behind my ears and glared at him.

"If Lynx told you do this, would you question it? I think not, until he gets back I'm the captain, you're going to have to trust me!" I thundered furiously. They just stood there.

"GET GOING!" I shouted, throwing my hands up and causing the house to shake. They all scrambled out the door except for Casino, he just stared at me.

"I do trust you, I just hope you're right." He said quietly. "Where are you going to go instead of the field?" He asked, sounding curious. I shook my head sadly.

"I'm going to try to lessen my enemies by one, we're going to need her." I pushed past him and raced out the door. I ran for a moment then realized I had forgotten my bending. Without breaking stride, I reaching down and yanked my tennis shoes and socks off, then swung my arms out behind me, using my Earthbending to shoot forwards twice as fast as I could at a run. I groaned softly as I thought about where I was going, Cabin 15, the home of the Tigers.

* * *

I slid to a stop at the bottom of the stairs of the cabin, looking up at the windows. There were a few lights on, I was in luck, Lipstick would be awake. I raised my arms then threw them down quickly, the movement tossed me up so I landed lightly on the porch. I knocked on the door quickly, praying it was loud enough. I didn't want to attract any of the coaches. The door swung open, it wasn't Lipstick but the team's goalie, Melody. 

"Seabiscuit? Its the middle of the night! What the hell do you want?" She demanded sharply. I wanted to hit her but I was going to have to be civil.

"Please, I need to talk to Lipstick! Its really important!" I said quickly, praying she would be semi-nice for once in her life.

"Uhh, okay I guess. I'll go get her." She muttered, scratching her head. A moment later Lipstick came out, her red hair in a messy pony tail and she was wearing a pink, satin bath robe. I nearly burst out laughing.

"What do you want?" She said, her tone was harsh but way more polite than Melody's.

"Um, this is seriously the hardest thing I've ever had to say, but I need your help," I mumbled, trying not to look her in the eye. I felt the heat rise on my cheeks, I was actually blushing.

"With what?" She asked, she sounding shocked. I couldn't believe I'd said it either.

"I don't have time to explain it all right now, but I need you to get your team down to Field H as quickly as possible. We're getting all the boys teams there for a meeting, and I'm asking you to come because even I know you hate me, you love Lynx and would do anything for him." I raised my head and looked her in the eye. "We may be rivals but we are pretty much equals and I know what you can do. Now I need you to fight with me instead of against me." I said breathlessly.

She looked stunned, she just stared at me for a moment then nodded.

"The Tigers will be there, we may be a minute or two late though, my girls are not going in front of the boys teams in their pajamas." She turned and went back inside, I heard her calling them and my mouth nearly fell open again. I shook my head in amazement, then I turned and jumped off the porch. With a swing of my arms I was pelting towards Field H, I prayed the others would have the same luck I had had.

* * *

Not wanting to startle them right off with my powers, when I neared the fields, I stopped bending and ran. I could see Casino and Falcon, and the Wolves sat in front of them. 

"Any luck?" Casino asked, looking behind me. I nodded but didn't say anything. My throat was tight and I was getting nervous, I knew what I had to do and I was pretty sure it would work… at least if the other captains held to the old tradition that hadn't been mentioned in years. It was going to be an extremely long night.

"Biscuit, what's going on?" Phantom asked from the ground. I turned and looked at him.

"Falcon said you're giving the orders now but that's all he said." Phantom shrugged and looked blankly at me.

"Just wait and see please, its going to be hard enough for me to tell it once." Phantom nodded, at least he was nice enough to pretend he understood when he didn't. I walked back to Falcon and Casino, I wanted to lean on Casino's shoulder until the others got there but I realized Haru probably wouldn't like that. Instead I just leaned against the goal post. More teams began to show up, the captains asking the same question Phantom had. I just shook my head and told them to wait. At last the Tigers arrived with Scooter and the Bobcats right behind them. I sighed heavily and walked to the middle of the field, everyone sat in a semi-circle around me. I looked around carefully, making sure everyone was here. Zuko caught my eye and smiled with a nod.

"So what's going on Biscuit?" Phantom asked when I glanced at him. I took a deep breath, my body was trembling. I gathered myself as best I could and took another deep breath.

"I'm calling an Alliance."

Several people gasped but most stared blankly. Wonderful.

* * *

Author's Notes: Leave me some love!

* * *


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